Don't Leave Me
by Horny-bimbo
Summary: a poor girl is put in hospital due to mental and physical damage from when she was missing for 3 months, but Nick Jonas is the only one who understands her now, he is the only one who can save her and bring the old her back into the light, overtime, he gains a certain feeling, and well, the rest you have to find out poeple! ;


Chloe Chandler had been missing for three months; gone, off the record with no traces, no leads concerning her disappearance, and then, one day, without any warning, she was back. The hunt for her had almost been closed, nearly dismissed and Chloe had been a couple of weeks from presumed dead by those who still held on to even a glimmer of hope, people like Nick Jonas. It was stated all over America that the 13 year old british girl was missing and he wanted to find her. _**Hello, someone is in love!**_

One day, he stopped searching and he has no clue why but he told the police to contact him if they found her.

Soon enough, he got a phone call.

"Hello?" He answered the phone, his voice tired and hollow, tone mimicking the way he felt and looked. Chloe seemed incredibily beautiful to him, but because of her, he was haunted by her in his dreams, he never heard her voice so he imagined it, the voices all came differently each night, never each one suiting her.

"Nick, it's Joe."

"I know." Nick nodded, automatically recognizing the voice.

"They found her."

"Where? How? When? Is she alive? Is she ok?"

"Slow down." Joe's voice was calm, quiet and patient. He didn't sound excited, and that scared him. "One question at a time."

"Is she alive?" Nick went with the most important question on his list, the one that would make all of the others either matter or seem indifferent, depending on the response.

"Yes." His words permitted Nick a sigh of relief, and he lay back on his bed.

"Where did they find her?" Nick asked.

"It's twisted." Joe paused. "They found her in New Mexico."

"Tell me the whole story, Joe." Nick could tell that things were going unsaid – after all, New Mexico itself wasn't as twisted as Joe had made things seem.

"She was in a bad place, Nick. The report said that police found her in a tight spot, it was good that they found her, but not how they found her."

"What was it like?" Nick asked, concerned and worried for his new fascinational creature.

"Apparently they had kept her one fucking room – they kept all of their 'employees' in solitary rooms with one wrist attached to a long chain so that they could reach the bed, the bathroom and such but not get out."

"Oh my god…" Nick gulped, trying hard not to picture Chloe in the situation. "And…how is she?"

"I haven't seen her yet, they just got her back to New York about an hour ago, that's when they called me. From what I've heard, she's in pretty bad shape – I mean physically she's going to be fine, but she's reported as even more underweight than she was before, she's exhausted and she has a lot of, well, bruises and injuries from, um…customers." Joe winced just saying the word and Nick felt like throwing up just thinking about it. This was Chloe, _his reason of his recent dreams_, his new obsession, the girl that he had refused to give up hope on.

"And…mentally?" Nick asked cautiously, not sure that he even wanted to hear the response.

"Not good." Joe shook his head. "She hasn't said a thing since they got her out. They said that she seems completely calm; no panic attacks, no screaming and no signs of hallucinations, but her mom said that she seems just...empty."

"No." Nick shook his head.

"I don't know, Nick, really, I don't." Joe bit his lip, trying not to cry as he spoke to Nick. "Look, the label and her friends are being notified of her return, but they are limiting visitors pretty strictly."

"How strictly?" Nick asked.

"Mostly just her family – I can't go." Joe paused. "But you can."

"Wait, why me and not you?" Nick asked, confused.

"I don't understand it, it's some sort of technicality in everything, but apparently they mentioned you and apparently you're her idol, but she didn't show any signs of objecting – then again, she's not really showing signs of any emotion. They asked me to call you and let you know that if you so choose, you can go see her during normal visiting hours, which are ten to noon and four to seven."

"Oh." Nick bit his lip. He wanted to see her, wanted to have proof for himself that she was alive, but he wasn't sure that he could stand seeing her differently than how he dreamt of her. "I - I'll go this afternoon." Nick checked the clock. It was one in the afternoon, so he had a few hours to compose himself. It didn't matter, he realized, if he didn't want to see her. It wasn't his choice, really. Chloe was found at least, she was scared, weak and alone; if it had to be, it was Nick's responsibility to be there for her, as her idol, even if it wasn't something that he wanted to do.

"You should," Joe nodded. "And…you know, when you're done, will you tell me everything? I want to go see her but I don't want to put that kind of pressure on anyone right now. Her family has enough to deal with without me begging them for visitation rights."

"Joe, you know if you asked I'm sure they'd let you visit."

"I know," Joe nodded. "I just don't feel like it's the right time to ask yet."

"If you're sure," Nick nodded. "I'll tell you everything, I promise."

"Thank you." Joe sounded grateful for his promise. "And Nick…be careful with her, ok? I don't want her scared."

"I know, Joe. Me too."

"God, I thought that she was dead, Nick." Joe sighed. "I'm not even sure that I deserve to see her – I gave up on her, almost everyone did; everyone but you."

"Don't beat yourself up." Nick shook his head, even though Joe couldn't see him. "It's not in my nature to lose hope on anything or anyone and there were some times where even I was sure that I would never see her."

"Do me one more favor?" Joe asked, his voice sounding pained.

"What?" Nick questioned.

"Don't tell her. Please, don't tell her that I lost faith in her, don't tell her that I thought she was dead; as much as I deserve whatever contempt she would feel towards that, I don't think that I can handle it."

"Don't worry." Nick shook his head. "I won't tell her anything like that. I haven't met her yet."

"Thank you. I have to go, but Nick, you take care – and don't forget to report back."

"I won't forget. Thanks for the call." There was no goodbye, just the clicking sound on the other end of the phone that let Nick know Joe was gone. With that, he dropped the phone and grabbed his pillow, pulling it close to his chest, trying as hard as he could to take in all of the information that he had received through the phone call.

Chloe was back. She was alive, she wasn't going to die, but she was broken and empty and Nick didn't know whether it would be worse for Chloe's body to be broken or her soul.

* * *

Nick arrived at the hospital at exactly four in the afternoon and the receptionist pointed him in the direction of Chloe's private room. Chloe's friend, Katerina, was the only person in the room besides the girl, and she looked upset – almost angry. At first, Nick didn't look at Chloe, too scared to let his eyes fall onto the poor victim.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, going to sit next to Katerina.

"She won't talk to me!" She let out an exasperated sigh. "her, Mom couldn't take it, she left, and her dad had to go to work. They told me that it's best if someone stays with her at all times, but I can't stand it! She just…lies there! I've tried everything to get her to talk!"

"Why don't you go have some rest," Nick offered. "I'll stay with her for a few hours."

"Really?" She stood up quickly, clearly trying to get out before Nick had the chance to change his mind. "You're a good person, she's lucky to have you as her Idol."

"I have to leave at seven!" Nick called as she walked out the door. Katerina just nodded as she left the room. Once Katerina was gone, Nick finally chanced a look at Chloe. She was lying perfectly still in the bed, a couple of bandages on her pale skin and a dark circle around her left eye, as though someone had punched her. Nick didn't even want to know where else the girl had bruises, seeing Chloe staring off into space as though she didn't even notice Nick's presence was hard enough. Nick bit his lip. If Katerina couldn't get her to talk then that meant she didn't want to talk, and if Chloe didn't want to talk, she shouldn't have to. She had been through so much, or so it sounded, and it was not fair for people to come in, trying to force her to communicate.

Instead of talking to her, Nick looked at her for a second before standing up and moving the chair so that he was facing the same direction as Chloe. He sat down, following Chloe's line of vision up towards the ceiling. He didn't attempt to speak or start a conversation, he just sat there, close to her, looking upwards towards the exact same spot as Chloe.

Despite her silence, Nick took in every possible aspect of Chloe's presence. He listened to every breath that she took, clinging to every sound that Chloe made as she ever so slightly readjusted herself on the bed – every sound that meant that she was alive. Nick didn't check the time, he didn't stare at Chloe, he didn't take out his book and start to read or listen to his iPod, he just sat there with her, keeping silent and looking at the ceiling as though it were a group activity. Katerina came back at seven, alerting Nick that he had to leave, despite his wish to stay with Chloe.

"Did you get her to talk?" She asked. "If anyone can, it should be you."

"Nope." Nick shook his head. "She doesn't seem ready to talk yet, so I didn't push it – why don't you try just sitting with her? It might help."

"What?" Katerina frowned. "Nick, you're crazy!" She shook her head.

"Maybe." Nick tilted his head to the side. "But until she gives me a sign that she wants to talk, I'm going to assume that she would prefer silence." With that, Nick turned away, leaving Chloe with her friend.

* * *

As he had promised, he called Joe and told him what had gone down. He went back the next morning at ten, this time relieving Chloe's father from his position. Again, he just sat with Chloe, eyes on the ceiling, until a nurse came, telling him to leave. He was back at four and he spent another three hours just sitting with her. Nick did the same thing for a week – just sitting silently with Chloe for five hours a day. On that Friday, however, when he got to Chloe's room, he was horrified by what he saw.

"TALK TO ME!" Chloe's mother was looking angrily at her daughter as she spoke with a raised voice. "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST SAY SOMETHING!" She grabbed Chloe's shoulders, shaking her, and Nick couldn't take it.

"Leave her alone!" Nick pulled her away from Chloe. "Don't shake her like that – can't you see she's been hurt?" Nick frowned; she should have known better. "She'll talk when she's ready to talk and the more you try to expedite that process, the longer it's going to take to happen." Nick kept his tone of voice in check, being careful not to frighten Chloe with shouted words. "Come back at seven and try again."

Nick's statement was final, it was absolute and Chloe's mother turned and exited the room, leaving the two him and Chloe alone. Nick sat down in his chair, feeling angry at Chloe's mother, though he tried not to show it. As he waited in silence with Chloe, he could hear her desperately trying to bring her breathing back down to a normal level and it was clear that her mother had scared her. Nick didn't know what to feel – he too had been scared by Mrs. Chandler's actions and he was afraid that Chloe was damaged beyond repair. One quick glance at Chloe was enough to know that she was broken. Her eyes were just as empty as they had been the first day that Nick had gone to see Chloe and there was still a sizeable white bandage around Chloe's left wrist, presumably from where the chain had kept her captive.

With every breath that Chloe took, Nick worried that he might never get her back, but every time Chloe moved in bed, Nick clung to the hope that he could help her. That day, Nick's last three hours flew by. Nick's thoughts were full of questions and spawning ideas – innovative, crazy ideas about how to help Chloe, but as always, the power of silence won out and Nick could think of no stronger way to help her, nothing better than just sitting with her, sharing the quiet room as though it belonged to the both of them. By the time the nurse appeared in the door, Nick was almost sure that only an hour had passed, two tops – he wasn't ready to leave Chloe, not just yet.

"Nick," the nurse smiled softly at him; since he had been visiting Chloe for a week, the nurses had gotten to know him, at least they had in theory. "It's time for you to go."

Nick nodded and it wasn't until he tried to stand up that he realized Chloe was clinging to a fistful of his black shirt. He didn't know how long Chloe's grasp had been there, but he sensed that it had not developed solely in the last few minutes. He looked at her, and despite what Nick had expected, Chloe looked back at him. However, the gaze was more surprising than the action itself; Chloe's blue eyes were no longer empty but full of pain, sorrow and a silent plea.

"I can't leave," Nick stated.

* * *

"No, I don't suppose you can." The nurse shook her head, smiling a genuine smile as Chloe silently communicated with Nick. She turned to leave, but before she did, she looked back over her shoulder at the two of them. "Whatever you're doing, Nick, it's working. She is very lucky to have you."

Nick knew that the words were important, but he barely heard them as he settled back into his chair. As he silently made it clear that he wasn't going anywhere, Chloe continued to fist Nick's shirt as though it were the only object in the world that her hand wouldn't pass through. Nick felt the importance of Chloe's eyes on him and he slowly, carefully turned the chair so that he was facing Chloe, looking into those heartbreakingly gorgeous eyes.

It hurt to see so much pain in her expression, but Chloe was showing emotion, and nothing could scare Nick more than Chloe's previous, blank stare. Nick could feel his phone repeatedly vibrating against his hip, but he didn't break any of the minimal contact that he had finally made with her – he was afraid that if he so much as reached into his pocket to switch off his phone, he might lose the progress that had been made.

"What is he still doing here?" Nick's unwavering gaze nearly faltered as he heard the voice of Chloe's mother outside, clearly raised to the nurse. "He's not a family member and I will _not _give permission for him to stay longer than the select visiting hours!"

"With all due respect," the nurse began, "by reaching out to Nick Jonas, she has overridden your request to restrict Nick to the regulated visitation hours." Nick frowned, hoping that Chloe could tune this out.

"Reaching out? How can you tell she's reaching out if she won't fucking speak?" Chloe's mother spoke with a biting tone of voice.

"She is _literally _clinging to Nick," the nurse retorted. "If you don't believe me, go ahead and see for yourself." Nick didn't look, but he was sure that Chloe's mother was looking into the room and he feared the reaction that was sure to follow.

"That is MY daughter! I should be the one that she's holding onto!" Nick gulped slightly as he heard the backlash, but kept his focus on Chloe.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but in cases like Chloe's, things like this sometimes don't make sense. Everyone has been handling your daughter's situation differently; we had no idea who, if anyone, was doing what Chloe needed – it turned out that someone was and it happened to be Nick's method that worked. You should be happy that your daughter is making progress, not angry because it's not your t-shirt she's clinging to." Nick felt a huge swell of admiration for the nurse as she attempted to set Chloe's mother straight. The argument died down, and Nick was able to turn his full attention to Chloe.

Nick looked at Chloe, focusing on the young child's eyes, trying to find and read some sort of reaction to the conversation that they had over heard, but all that he could see was the same pain and broken sorrow that had been there wince they first made eye contact. Chloe's ability to deny a physical reaction made Nick wonder if maybe what he had hoped for _had _happened – perhaps Chloe had been able to tune out the dissent between her mother and the nurse. The pain that Chloe felt was evident not only in his eyes, but in the one other form of communication that the two of them had. The grip that Chloe had on Nick's shirt was far tighter than necessary; her knuckles were almost white from the force she was exerting to hold onto Nick.

Nick wanted to tell her that even if he let go, he would stay, but he didn't want Chloe to feel as though the tight grasp annoyed him in any way. She was clinging to Nick out of some sort of necessity and he wasn't about to deny her that in any way, shape or form.

* * *

Chloe held onto him for hours. She didn't let go when the doctor came in to check on her, she didn't let go as the nurse fed her her dinner, she didn't even let go when the doctor came back late that night to change Chloe's drip, adding some drug to aid Chloe in a dreamless sleep. Only once the drug kicked in and she began to fall asleep did her grip relax, but still, Nick didn't leave. He rested his head on the side of Chloe's bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep determined to be the first thing that he saw when he woke – this was the way that he knew of to let Chloe know that, even if she wasn't holding tightly to him, Nick would be there, he wouldn't leave her alone.

Nick woke up before Chloe, surprised by how rested he felt despite the pain in his neck from the angle that he had slept in. Chloe hadn't moved at all and her hand was still resting right beside Nick's shoulder, where she had been holding tightly to the shirt the day before. Nick stayed where he was, not wanting to be the reason that she woke up. He didn't know how much sleep Chloe had been getting since she disappeared, but he knew that Chloe's medical report had specified exhaustion. This was not the first time that Nick had seen her asleep, but it was the first time that he had watched her sleep. Nick instinctively monitored the way that Chloe's chest was rising and falling as her medically regulated breath moved through her body.

In the three months that she had been gone, Chloe had not only lost all of the weight that she had gained since last summer, but some extra as well, and her melsey brown hair that was so thick and fluffy now had gone greasy and thin. Chloe's skin was pale – more so than anyone had ever seen it, and it displayed a strikingly stark contrast to both her hair and the fading, but still visible ring around her left eye. Nick didn't understand how anyone could beat her; Chloe had been beautiful and everybody knew it, herself included from the photo Nick had seen of her on the news, and Nick couldn't fathom how anyone would mar that beauty for any reason.

As the thought pulled at his mind, Chloe slowly opened her eyes, looking at him with the same, silent expression as before – hurt, sad and needy. Nick bit his lip, cautiously and slowly extending his right hand to her. He was surprised when she looked down at it, and even more surprised when slender, cool fingers met his, not holding his hand, just barely resting in his palm.

Nick looked at Chloe, an understanding expression on his face as he let the hand rest in his. He had held Chloe's hand a few times before, but never had it been like this, never had he felt so determined to maintain the contact, so convinced that if the cold hand in his moved away, he would have failed. He wanted so badly for Chloe to talk to him, to tell him what had happened, what was wrong, but more importantly, he wanted Chloe to tell him what he could do to help. However, Nick seemed to understand one thing that the rest of her family did not. What Nick was doing was slowly easing Chloe out of her terrified shell, slowly bringing her into the light.

* * *

Over the next few days, Nick rarely left the room. He showered when Chloe was being washed by the nurses, he slept when she slept and he ate when Chloe ate. Sometimes, if she hadn't fallen sleep clinging to Nick's shirt or lightly holding his hand, Nick would go outside, call Joe, walk a little, and think about how this was ever going to get better, but other than that, he lived and breathed for her.

"Hey." Nick turned around one day almost a week later to see Katerina standing in the doorway. It had been awhile – since Nick had heard Chloe's mother fighting with the nurse, he had not seen any member of the Chandler family, not even Katerina. "Um…how is she?" she asked, entering the room and sitting down, her eyes catching the way Chloe was holding his hand, this time her fingers actually slightly curled around his palm instead of just lying there, flat.

"I don't know," Nick admitted. "She's still not talking and she's still weak."

"I see." Katerina looked over Chloe's body. Most of the bandages were gone and the black eye was nothing more than a barely visible bruise. The only really noticeable injury was the red mark on Chloe's wrist left by the chain. "The nurse told me that you've been taking care of her."

"Not taking care of her." He shook his head. "I'm just sitting with her, letting her know that I'm here for her no matter what."

"Well whatever it is, the nurse says that she's getting better, and she said that it's at least a little bit thanks to you." Katerina turned her gaze from Chloe to Nick. "Her family should be ashamed for the way that they have been handling this situation, and Nick, you've really been there for her when her parents just get worse and worse; they won't come to visit her but they spend day after day looking for a mental institution to place her in once the hospital releases her."

"What?" Nick turned to face Katerina, eyes wide with apprehension. "They can't do that! You can't be serious! But it's…it's Chloe! They can't put her somewhere like that!"

"Well they can't take care of her and the hospital won't keep her forever." Katerina looked down, clearly ashamed of her family's decision. "From what we've heard, Chloe will be released from the hospital soon, as her vitals are going up and she isn't really sick. Once she is free to go, though, she's going to need practically constant care and they just can't give that to her."

"Fine," Nick sighed, turning away from Katerina and looking back at Chloe. He said nothing more to Katerina the whole time that she was there, choosing instead to focus on Chloe – holding her hand a little tighter and smiling at her. Even though she hadn't been a part of the conversation, she had still been present, meaning she had still heard what Katerina had said, and though Nick wasn't sure, he thought that he detected a slightly heightened sadness in Chloe's eyes.

"Do you need anything?" Katerina asked as she stood up after sitting for almost an hour.

"_I_ don't." Nick shook his head and they both looked to Chloe, as though hoping that just maybe she would say something – ask for something. Of course, Chloe just stared at him with her unchanging eyes, ignoring the fact that her friend was there entirely.

"Well…I'll be back when I can," she smiled sadly at both young couple before exiting. Nick put his left hand over his right, holding Chloe's hand between the two.

"Chloe," he said quietly. "I know that you're not up for talking, and that's ok, I just want you to know that I'm pulling for you. You're going to end up ok if I have anything to say about it." After speaking, Nick fell silent, drifting back into the state of quiet communication that he and Chloe had become so good at sharing.

"Nick?" The nurse entered the room with two trays off food about an hour and a half later. "Are you kids ready to eat now?"

"Yes." Nick nodded; after all, that was as good of a time as any. "Hey." Nick directed his statement at the nurse as she turned to leave after setting the food down.

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head to the side with a gentle smile.

"How long is it going to be before she is released from the hospital?" he asked, biting his lip. The longer the hospital would keep her, the longer she would have before she was shipped off to some unfriendly mental institution where people were only helping her because it was their job.

"Um, hold on." The nurse took the chart from the base of Chloe's bed and perused it for about a minute before setting it back in its holder and looking up at Nick. "It looks like her physical injuries are healing and her nutrition is improving but very slowly though. She is slowly making good progress, well, physically, we want to be able to have her communicate with her voice at some point and we want her mentally fixed which could take quite a while, but it may take over a few years before she is back to her old self."

"Thank you." Nick nodded, letting out a deep sigh.

"You are welcome." She smiled at him. "Would you like me to stay and feed her?" She usually didn't ask, she usually just fed Chloe while Nick ate, but today, Nick just shook his head.

"No, I can do it tonight." He looked between the nurse and Chloe. "Thank you." The nurse said nothing more; she just turned and left with a polite wave. Nick looked at the food, cutting up a piece of chicken. However, before the fork got close to Chloe's mouth, Chloe raised her hand, grabbing Nick's hand, preventing the food from reaching its intended target. "Chloe?" Nick looked at his new friend, worry on his face. "Are you alright?"

"P-please," She started, her voice shaky and quiet. "Don't…don't let them take me to one of those places."

* * *

Nick tried hard to regain his composure as he stared, slack-jawed, at her. "I…Chloe, don't worry." Nick shook his head, lowering the fork and looking seriously at the young girl. "If you don't want to, I won't let them take you anywhere that you don't want to go, ok?" Chloe just nodded, looking down, away from Nick. His gaze followed her and she noticed that, for the first time since she had been rescued, at least that Nick had seen, she was crying. He gulped as he watch the quiet tears fall to the bedspread, and for some reason that he couldn't explain, he reached out, covering the area that they were falling on with her hand so that the hot, salty, water fell in drops on his hand.

Chloe continued to cry, the tears slow, but steady, and just as silent as the previous days that they had shared without a single spoken word between them. After almost ten minutes, Nick moved the trays of food out of the way. He was unable to take seeing Chloe like this, he couldn't watch his new friend be destroyed by someone else's actions. He reached out with both arms, tentatively hoping that she would react.

She sniffled, looking up at Nick's open arms. She stared for a few seconds, her eyes darting quickly between Nick's face and his arms before she slowly moved forwards, allowing Nick's embrace to circle around her. Chloe's head rested gently against Nick's shoulder and the tears fell onto her neck, seeping through his shirt and burning Nick's skin with sorrow and empathy for the pain that he could never understand. He began to rub soft, slow circles on Chloe's back, keeping them in silence for a few minutes more as he attempted to stop the tears. He knew that his tender hold was having a positive effect on Chloe; he could feel the fragile body shake, but he could also feel that shaking slow as he rubbed the young girl's back.

"I've got you," he whispered gently after almost five minutes. "No one will hurt you, I've got you now and you're safe with me. They won't take you to an institution; they won't take you away from me." Nick spoke with a determination that he hadn't felt until that moment, but despite having not thought his words through, he was sure that he was only saying the truth. "I will make sure that you are taken care of Chloe, and the only way that I can do that is if I take care of you myself." Nick paused, trying to read Chloe's reaction to his statement. "Is that alright with you?" he asked gently. "Is it ok with you if I take you home when they let you out? Help you get back to as much of who you were before as is possible?"

Nick knew that so many other people would have told her that she would go back to the way she was, that so many people would have worded what he said differently. Maybe they would have said it because they believed that it truly was possible to bring back the old Chloe Chandler, that Nick saw in the photo on the news, in her entirety or maybe they would have said it just to give Chloe hope that it was possible, but lying and implanting false hopes wasn't Nick's style; he wouldn't do that to Chloe or anyone. It was clear to Nick that whatever had happened to her was irreversible, that Chloe would never forget the experience that she had been forced into, she would never return to the state that she had been in before her disappearance, but Nick was also aware that this didn't mean things were over for her. Maybe she couldn't become who she had been, but she was still capable of becoming someone who was happy and secure; that was all that Nick could hope to give her.

"Please." Chloe spoke the word softly, her words brushing against Nick's neck with a soft, pleading whisper. "Take me away, don't leave me somewhere I can't find you." Chloe had been resting in Nick's embrace, her body limp in his arms, but now Chloe's arms slowly, very loosely, wrapped around his torso, clinging to him in the only way that she could, and that was enough for Nick.

"I won't let you out of my sight for any longer than I have to at any time," Nick vowed. "When they release you from here, you can come with me and I won't make you do anything that you don't want to do, I won't make you see anything or do anyone that you can't handle."

"Th-thank you." Chloe's arms tightened slightly around him and Nick held the young girl a little closer.

"You don't have to thank me, Chloe," Nick whispered. "I don't want you to be damaged, I don't want you to cry and feel like no one is on your side, because I am, sweetie. I will do whatever it takes to make you whole again. It will be a different whole than it was before, but you'll be ok. I won't let it happen any other way."

"Will you…will you sit up here with me?" She asked, her voice still only a ghost of a whisper.

"Of course." Nick nodded, working for a minute or two to get onto the bed without letting go of Chloe. They didn't speak again that night. Nick held Chloe, just letting her cry all of the tears that she had been keeping in. He knew that this was just one way for Chloe to let out some of the pain and horror that was trapped inside of him, and if it would help even a little, tiny bit, then Nick would have let her cry for days, if she had to. But it didn't take days, just about an hour, maybe a little longer. An hour that took all of the energy Chloe had.

* * *

By the time the nurse came to collect the food trays, Chloe was drained. She lay on the bed, curled into Nick's arms, her head burrowed in Nick's chest as the 19 year old held her tightly, making sure that Chloe felt as secure as possible. He said nothing when the nurse entered, not wanting to Chloe, and he didn't move. He just let the nurse remove the uneaten food as he held her close, taking careful notice of every single soft, regular breath that left Chloe's body. Nick had made a promise to her, an oath to protect her, and that had started the second that he had made it. It was his job to look after Chloe now, and he was determined not to fail, no matter what the cost.

A few weeks had passed and Chloe was communicating with Nick incredibly better than expected, she also started walking again, they now just let her walk around the room.

* * *

Nick's POV:

Wednesday I went into the room and Chloe was sitting in a chair. I smiled, at least she wasn't in bed.

"Hey!" I greeted.

"Hello," she grumbled.

"What's wrong?"

"My foot's asleep."

"Oh… well stomp on it."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Her lips were pursed and her eyes were slits as she turned to look at the wall. She didn't want to talk about it and I didn't want to press it. But come on, who wanted to have there foot asleep.

"I'll rub it," I said, walking over and sitting on the bed, bending over to grab her foot. I rolled up her sweat pants so that I could get a better grip on her foot. Her whole foot, along with part of her leg, was covered in sores.

"I said I didn't want to talk about it. I told you I couldn't stomp on it. Why can't you just leave it alone? You don't have to take care of me, Nick. In fact, I'd like it if you didn't. I want just one person in my life to just want to hang out with me, not because they feel sorry from me or they think that I need tending too. Can you just be my friend?"

I sighed, "Of course."

"Thank you."

* * *

Five weeks had passed. I had finished my new album a week ago. Now I just went in to see Chloe. I ran from Big Rob's car to the door to the hospital, covering my head from the rain. "I'll pick you up at six?" he shouted after me.

"Whatever!" I shouted back. When I was under the awning, I shook my hair out and shivered. The rain was cold. Really cold. I walked into the motion automated door and waved to some of the nurses I had come to know in my time here. I stepped in front of the receptionist. She always had to give me the visitors' pass. She smiled and handed it to me.

I walked into Chloe's room. She was sitting in the bed, looking out the window, her face streaked with tears. For the next few weeks I had come, she had always been out of bed. Now, every time I came she was in bed. I walked over and lay down in the bed with her. We had grown especially close recently. She noticed I was there, but she didn't look away from the window.

"It's beautiful," she said, her voice scratchy.

"What's beautiful?" I asked, rolling over so that I was looking at the window with her.

"The rain."

"Yeah. But it's cold and dark. The sun doesn't shine when it rains. The ground gets mushy and cars get in accidents."

She ignored me. "I wonder what it feels like."

"Oh, I'm sure you've felt the rain."

"Not for a while. I forgot. I forgot what a house looks like. I don't really remember my family's faces because they have been gone, for so long. Nick? What does the rain feel like?"

"Well… it doesn't feel different than a shower, really."

"Yes it does. I remember it felt different than a shower. I remember that." She tore her eyes away from the window and rolled over so that she was facing me. "You know what else is beautiful?" she whispered.

"What?" I whispered back, like we were sharing a secret.

"You." She ran her fingers through my hair. I was shocked, but I didn't pull away. It felt amazing. The way her breath felt against my skin felt beyond words. Her eyes, usually faint, now had a certain shine in them that had never been noticed there before. I placed one of my hands on her cheek and moved in, slowly.

The kiss was soft. Gentle. Clumsy.

"I'm sorry," she whispered; pulling away.

"For what?"

"I've never kissed anyone before. I've seen it on TV, but... I don't think I'm doing it right."

"You're doing fine."

She smiled and I leaned in again.

* * *

I walked into the room, two days later, she was still looking out the window. It was still raining and the storm didn't show any signs of letting up soon. She was crying again. I lay down next to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"I wish I could feel it."

"Feel what?"

"The rain."

"You will. Someday."

"What day?" she asked, turning towards me, an unknown anger in her voice. "Today? Tomorrow? Sunday? Next week? Next month? This summer? Next year? When?" she was screaming at me now. "I'm never going to get to feel it! I'm never going to go outside! I'm going to die in this room. Whether something comes to get me or not, I'm going to die in this room."

"No you're not. I promise you. You'll feel the rain."

"How can you promise me that?" she gasped out through her tears.

"I just know it Chloe. And when I make a promise, I keep a promise."

* * *

When I got home I stared at the wall for an hour. I was vaguely aware when Big Rob came into the room and sat down on the bed next to me. "She seems nice," he whispered, patting my shoulder. I hadn't realized I was crying.

"She doesn't think she's gonna live," I whispered.

"Do you think she is?" he asked.

"I don't know."

* * *

The rain didn't stop for two weeks. Whenever I'd go into the hospital, I'd find Chloe crying and staring out the window. I wondered if it had been that way the entire time she was here, or something that had developed recently.

But today the rain had stopped. I was about to go into her room when the receptionist, who I had come to know as Mandy, stopped me. "Nick. I have to tell you something. She knows, and I think you should too before you go in there."

"Does it have to do with her condition?" I asked, trying to look around her.

"Yes."

"Then I don't want to hear it. We decided that those things stayed away from our friendship." I walked around her and tried to continue on.

"Nick, they're stopping treatment," she shouted after me. I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn't turn around. I didn't breathe. I didn't do anything. They were stopping her treatments?

"What?" I whispered. I was sure that Mandy couldn't hear it from where she was.

"They've been talking about doing it for quite some time, seeing as there has been no improvement mentally."

Now I turned around and exploded. "What do you mean there's been no improvement? You can't stop trying to make her better! She's a human being! She isn't a pet. She isn't an experiment! She's a human! She's my friend! My best friend! You can't take her away from me." I sank to my knees and cried into my hands. "You can't take her away from me. I need her."

"Nick. Please come with me. You can't do this here," she said. I numbly let her grab my arm and lead me to a back room where I sat in an uncomfortable chair. I continued to cry into my hands.

I didn't see her that day.

* * *

The next few days when I went to the hospital, it was never to be with her. I wanted to more than anything, but there was something I needed to do first. I'd gone to every one of her doctors, everyone I could find. Finally I was sitting down with the man in charge of Chloe's treatments.

"So you're saying you want to bring her outside?"

"Yes sir. We've been talking a lot the past few weeks. She was always talking about the rain. She wants to feel it. She wanted to remember what it was like. It doesn't have to take long. It could be quick. But I know it's what she wants more than anything."

"Nicholas, you know there are so many things wrong with letting her do that. She possibly won't be able to be attached to the necessary machines. She'd have to be in the open air, exposed to things her immune system can't begin to recognize."

I stood up and slammed my hands down on the table. "You're going to stop her treatments! It's a possibility she's going to die anyway! IF she is going to die, then why not let her die with the one thing she wants most in this world? Why make her die in the same bed she's been lying in for the better part of since the day she came here?" I was shouting. I knew it. I knew there was no way that Chloe was going to get to feel the rain for a long time. Unless I made it so.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave now," he said calmly.

"You're a heartless man."

* * *

The next time I was there I went to see her. She was sitting on her bed, colouring in a colouring book. It was so childish I smiled really big but it made my heart sink before it could break. I wondered how long she had if she was going to die. A week? A month? A year? "I thought you gave up on me," she whispered, not looking up but instead grabbing a yellow crayon.

"Why would I give up on you?" I asked, sliding into the bed with her. "You're my best friend."

"Just friends?"

"More than friends. You know that." I said, placing a kiss on her cheek. "What are you colouring?"

"I don't know. I found the colouring book in the children's wing and took it. There isn't much to do around here and you haven't come to see me for a week and a half."

"Yeah, I'm so sorry about that Chloe, I was really-"

"Who told you about my chances? I know that you know. Who was it?"

"Mandy, the receptionist."

"Oh."

I took the colouring book from her hands and placed it on the chair next to us. I took her face in my hands and pressed her lips to mine. Kissing her made me feel so happy, so alive. Just thinking that the chances she wasn't going to be alive much longer made me pull away, a pained sound coming from my throat.

"Nick?" she asked, worried. I flung my arms around her and sobbed into her shoulder, my whole body heaving with the tears. She wrapped her arms around me comfortingly. There were so many things wrong with this picture. I was supposed to be soothing her, not the other way around.

"Please, you c-can't l-leave me!"

"Oh, Nick," I could hear the crack in her voice. She was trying not to cry. "I think you shouldn't have ever met me."

"Don't even say that. These past two and a half months have been the most amazing in my life. I need you so much. Please. We'll find a miracle. I just... I can't loose you. You're the most important person in my life."

That did it. She was crying now. We just lay there, crying, holding on to each other like we'd die without it. Exhausted from the tears, we fell asleep in each others arms.

* * *

I woke up when it felt like only minutes had just gone by. Next to me, She still slept; the constant beeping of machines around us. I lay back down and tried to fall back asleep. All I could think of was the sound of the rain pounding the ceiling of the hospital.

It wasn't the first time I had stayed the night in the hospital with her, but it was the first time I had spent it without telling Big Rob. He was probably freaking out. I twisted away from Chloe and stepped out into the hall, pulling my cell phone out of my pocket.

No signal.

I walked out to the front reception area.

No signal.

I stepped outside. When I finally caught the signal I called Big Rob and told him I'd be back soon, but not too soon. I was going to wait until Chloe woke up, at least. He agreed and slightly reprimanded me for not telling him where I was. I could tell in his voice that he had suspected.

As I was walking back to Chloe's room, Mandy cornered me. "I heard your argument with the director."

"Oh, that guy," was all I said.

"I want to help."

"What?"

"If she wants to feel the rain, I'm going to help you sneak her outside."

"You don't even know her that much."

"No, but you do. And you care about her. You love her, don't deny it. And I love you... like a friend... and I want to help you. And I think that this whole thing is very poetic."

"Thanks."

"Come over during the next storm."

"I have a feeling I'll be here for a while anyway."

"I had that feeling too."

* * *

The rain was pounding the sidewalk, causing it to splash up. Even though I hated the rain, mostly, I understood why Chloe wanted to feel it. Before I went into the hospital, I spread my arms out and looked up, letting the rain hit my face and run down my body. If you really felt it, and not just thought you did, it was a soothing, calming, perfect feeling. Much better than a shower.

I walked passed Mandy, watching as she nodded. I gave her the 'ten minutes' sign, holding up all ten fingers. She nodded again and I went into Chloe's room. She was worse than usual, half unconscious as she watched some show on Disney Channel, they decided to add the TV in incase she gets bored or needs something to do etc.

"Hey sweetie."

"Nick." It was like her throat was an old attic, filled with cobwebs and dirt. I half expected to see dust fly out of her mouth.

"I have a surprise for you!" I said, cheerfully, walking over to help her sit up.

"Nick, I can't right now. I'm not doing well. I have to rest."

"No, we have to do this now. I'll probably get arrested for what I'm going to try right now, so you better help me."

"What is it Nick?" she whispered.

"You're going to feel the rain."

"I can't stand, Nick. I can't even sit. This may be it for me. It's okay. I don't need to feel the rain."

"Yes you do. I made you a promise and I'm not going to let you stay like this Chloe. If not for yourself, for me?"

"Okay Nick, for you."

I smiled and gently pulled the IV from her arm. I un-hooked, un-latched, and ripped off so many cords and wires it surprised me. Those must have been new. I basically picked her up and sat her down in the wheelchair that Mandy had brought in with her. Smiling, Mandy ran ahead of us as I pushed Chloe through the hallways as fast as I could without loosing control.

* * *

We were outside. Chloe gasped. "Nick. You did it," she inhaled deeply, as if she thought she'd never smell fresh air again. I was about to walk around and help her stand, but she did it on her own. Her first steps were clumsy, but she gained her balance.

With surprising speed, she ran out onto the hospital's front lawn. She skipped and twirled and threw her head back, letting the rain soak her face and hair. I ran to her and we splashed and held each other. "Nick. You really did it."

"I promised, remember?"

* * *

About a week later, I was lying in bed the next night when Big Rob picked up the phone. I listened to every word he was saying. The tone in his voice said it all. She was being released. My heart felt like it was going to leave my chest. I realized that a huge part of me had lived along with her, it helped her survive.

The Doctors claim it was a complete miracle.

It was all because she got to feel the rain and that was all she ever wanted.

She didn't have any home to go to, so I took her with me, she had even more colour than ever before, she was far more beautiful than any other beautiful girl in the world.

I don't know how, but it is because of her that my world has fallen in place. Because of her.

Because of her, Chloe, my sweet angel, lonely goddess of her kind, it is because of her that I felt all the world inside of me.


End file.
